Capital Metrohttp://kut.org
enhttp://kut.org/feeds/term/1871/rss.xmlReport Says Austin's Transit Ridership Continues to Declinehttp://kut.org/post/report-says-austins-transit-ridership-continues-decline
<p>This week, Capital Metro is presenting the latest findings from its Connections 2025 study, which seeks to revamp Austin’s public transit system over the next 10 years.</p><p>The new report looks at how Capital Metro’s services fit in with changing demographics, and shows that while Austin’s transit ridership is higher than cities like Dallas and San Antonio, it’s still declining.&nbsp;</p><p></p><p>Wed, 18 May 2016 12:52:40 +0000Syeda Hasan15002 at http://kut.orgReport Says Austin's Transit Ridership Continues to DeclineCapMetro Approves Saltillo Plaza Dealhttp://kut.org/post/capmetro-approves-saltillo-plaza-deal
<p>After much back-and-forth with labor groups, Capital Metro’s board of directors approved a final agreement Monday with developers for its Plaza Saltillo project. The final agreement addresses two points that labor groups have been pushing for – better wages and on-site supervision.</p><p>Tue, 22 Mar 2016 14:41:46 +0000Syeda Hasan14643 at http://kut.orgCapMetro Approves Saltillo Plaza DealAdvocates Call for Wage, Safety Safeguards for Plaza Saltillo Workershttp://kut.org/post/advocates-call-wage-safety-safeguards-plaza-saltillo-workers
<p>Capital Metro unveiled plans Thursday for its Plaza Saltillo redevelopment, but&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.5;">some labor groups are concerned about working</span><span style="line-height: 1.5;"> conditions on the project.</span></p><p>Fri, 18 Mar 2016 13:58:43 +0000Syeda Hasan14624 at http://kut.orgAdvocates Call for Wage, Safety Safeguards for Plaza Saltillo WorkersCap Metro Rolls Out Downtown MetroRail Station Plans http://kut.org/post/cap-metro-rolls-out-downtown-metrorail-station-plans
<p><em>From the <a href="http://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2015/12/capmetro-rolls-out-downtown-metrorail-station-plans/" target="_blank">Austin </a></em><em><a href="http://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2015/12/capmetro-rolls-out-downtown-metrorail-station-plans/" target="_blank">Monitor</a>:</em> Capital Metro has scaled down its ambitions for a permanent MetroRail station in downtown Austin.&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.5;">The transit agency showed off at a public meeting on Friday its preferred concept for the station, a much more conventional rendering compared to the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://kut.org/post/plans-new-metrorail-station-dont-have-everyone-board" style="line-height: 1.5;">swooping modernist proposals</a><span style="line-height: 1.5;">&nbsp;floated last year.</span></p><p>Mon, 14 Dec 2015 18:51:35 +0000Caleb Pritchard14061 at http://kut.orgCap Metro Rolls Out Downtown MetroRail Station Plans Starting Today, Four Cap Metro Bus Routes Will Run More Frequentlyhttp://kut.org/post/starting-today-four-cap-metro-bus-routes-will-run-more-frequently
<p>Some changes are coming to a few of the city’s bus routes this week. I<span style="line-height: 1.5;">n an attempt to increase ridership, four</span><span style="line-height: 1.5;"> Capital Metro bus routes will be running more often.</span></p><p>“We’re going to be upgrading five of the busiest routes in our whole system. And four of those will run every 15 minutes or better across the weekday,” says Todd Hemingson of Cap Metro.</p><p>Of the four routes that will run more often, the longest is Number 7, which runs from Heritage Hills to Dove Springs. Hemingson says the goal of the added frequency is to begin creating a network of buses in town that run regularly enough that you can conveniently get around town without having to wait for a bus or transfer for more than seven minutes.</p><p>Mon, 08 Jun 2015 19:53:26 +0000Terrence Henry12884 at http://kut.orgStarting Today, Four Cap Metro Bus Routes Will Run More FrequentlyAustin's Award-Winning Rapid Bus Signal System Only Works 15-20% of the Timehttp://kut.org/post/austins-award-winning-rapid-bus-signal-system-only-works-15-20-time
<p>Austin's bus system got two new lines last year, called MetroRapid. They're generally larger, run more frequently, have fewer stops (to run faster) and offer some amenities not found on the city's local buses, like WiFi. More than a million trips have been taken on the new rapid bus lines. They also have a higher price: A ride on one of Capital Metro's MetroRapid buses costs $1.75, as opposed to $1.25 for a ride on their local alternatives.&nbsp;</p><p>But these rapid buses supposedly justify that higher price by getting you around faster. Capital Metro labels it a "premium" service, and one advantage they're supposed to have is they can hold green lights longer at intersections outside of downtown, extending the time before a light turns red and allowing the rapid bus to get through in time. "Special technology allows all MetroRapid vehicles to catch more green lights to stay on schedule," Capital Metro says on its <a href="http://www.capmetro.org/metrorapid/" target="_blank">website</a>.</p><p>Thu, 02 Apr 2015 16:59:20 +0000Terrence Henry12417 at http://kut.orgAustin's Award-Winning Rapid Bus Signal System Only Works 15-20% of the TimeNow You Can Find Out Where Your Bus is in Real Timehttp://kut.org/post/now-you-can-find-out-where-your-bus-real-time
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Starting today, there's a <a href="http://www.capmetro.org/news-item.aspx?id=4639">big change</a> in Austin's transit system. It's not a big new train or shiny new buses, it's something much smaller, so small you can fit it in your phone. And this tiny new product could mean big improvements for <a href="https://www.capmetro.org/">Capital Metro</a> riders.</span></p><p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/192960322&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe></p><p>It's called real-time info, and what it means is that riders will now know exactly where their bus is. If it's early, if it's late, or if it's on time – now you'll know.</p><p>Wed, 25 Feb 2015 15:24:27 +0000Terrence Henry12182 at http://kut.orgNow You Can Find Out Where Your Bus is in Real TimeAfter Ridership Drops, Where Does Cap Metro Go From Here?http://kut.org/post/after-ridership-drops-where-does-cap-metro-go-here
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Mass transit is a very small slice of the Austin transportation pie. On average, <a href="http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/01/27/modeshare2013/">only about four percent </a>of people in the greater Austin area use transit to get to work. In Portland, it’s three times that. And Austin's transit use <a href="http://kut.org/post/austins-growing-fast-why-isnt-its-public-transit">suffered a significant drop last year</a>. So what can Capital Metro do to turn things around?<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/188583333&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe>Let's start with the bulk of Capital Metro's system: the bus.</span></p><p>"I think we are on the cusp of making a significant step in the right direction," says&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.5;">Todd </span>Hemingson,<span style="line-height: 1.5;">&nbsp;Vice President of Strategic Planning and Development at Capital Metro. The agency has laid out several goals for the years ahead, and one of them is adding frequency to some of the city's most popular bus routes.</span></p><p>Fri, 30 Jan 2015 13:25:18 +0000Terrence Henry12016 at http://kut.orgAfter Ridership Drops, Where Does Cap Metro Go From Here?Austin's Growing Fast, But Why Isn't Its Public Transit?http://kut.org/post/austins-growing-fast-why-isnt-its-public-transit
<p><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 22px;">This is the first in a two-part series on transit use in Austin. Read&nbsp;<a href="http://kut.org/post/after-ridership-drops-where-does-cap-metro-go-here"><font color="#0c4ca2">Part Two:&nbsp;After Ridership Drops, Where Does Cap Metro Go From Here?</font></a></em></p><p>Austin is one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country. Over the last five years, the population in the city limits has increased by nearly a 100,000 people, an 11 percent increase. In the larger region, the growth is even greater. But there’s one part of the city that isn’t growing: transit ridership. Let's take a look at what's behind that trend, in the first of a two-part series on transit use in Austin.</p><p>"Ridership has not increased as much as our city has grown," says&nbsp;Jace Deloney, chair of the <a href="http://www.austintexas.gov/utc">Urban Transportation Commission</a>, a city board that advises on transportation issues. "We haven't kept up in terms of providing transit service to the people that are moving here."</p><p>Thu, 29 Jan 2015 13:27:09 +0000Terrence Henry12007 at http://kut.orgAustin's Growing Fast, But Why Isn't Its Public Transit?Cap Metro Begins Bus & Rail Fare Hikes Next Weekhttp://kut.org/post/cap-metro-begins-bus-rail-fare-hikes-next-week
<p>Austinites taking public transportation will see a hike in bus and rail fares next week. Starting Jan. 11, fares are going to go up on Capital Metro mass transit.</p><p>For bus-goers, what cost just fifty cents six years ago will now cost $1.25. Capital Metro is increasing the base fare for rides on local bus routes this winter, a 25 percent increase. Fares are also going up for what the agency calls its premium buses, like MetroRapid, to $1.75 per ride. Additionally, a trip on the Metrorail Red Line will now cost you $3.50 each way, up from $2.75. Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:58:19 +0000KUT Staff11871 at http://kut.orgCap Metro Begins Bus & Rail Fare Hikes Next WeekRail Failed, But It's Not the End of Transit Improvements in Austinhttp://kut.org/post/rail-failed-its-not-end-transit-improvements-austin
<p>Earlier this year, Austinites<span style="line-height: 1.5;"> got a warning from their mayor: Pass a proposed light rail line, or face certain doom.&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.5;">There was no "</span><a href="http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/community/2014/08/07/1-billion-transportation-bond-propotision-put-on-november-ballot/13751581/" style="line-height: 1.5;">Plan B</a><span style="line-height: 1.5;">," voters were told.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5;">"Here's the basic equation," Mayor Lee&nbsp;</span>Leffingwell<span style="line-height: 1.5;"> said in his State of the City address, "<a href="http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=206223">Rail or fail</a>."&nbsp;</span></p><p>Austin voters <a href="http://kut.org/post/austins-rail-and-roads-bond-defeated">chose the latter option</a> this election, saying "No" to a billion-dollar light rail and road improvements proposal by a wide margin, 57 percent voting "No" and 43 percent voting "Yes." The proposal garnered a lot of interest, with 15,000 more Austinites voting on it than on the race for Mayor of Austin.</p><p>Contrary to what you might have heard, this was technically the first time a rail plan has been voted down within city limits.&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.5;">So what happened? How did a supposedly progressive, typically bond-approving city electorate shoot down something so strongly?</span></p><p>Fri, 14 Nov 2014 18:16:54 +0000Terrence Henry11633 at http://kut.orgRail Failed, But It's Not the End of Transit Improvements in AustinAustin's Rail and Roads Bond Defeatedhttp://kut.org/post/austins-rail-and-roads-bond-defeated
<p>After years of false starts and changed plans for light rail in Austin, voters have decided against a billion-dollar plan that would have brought the city its first light rail line and hundreds of millions of dollars in road improvements.&nbsp;</p><p>Rail hasn't been on the ballot in Austin for ten years (though it did come close), so there was a lot of anticipation about this vote. If it had been approved, a billion dollars in all would have be taken on in city debt, $600 million to partially pay for a starter 9.5 mile light rail line and $400 million for improvements to state roads aimed at easing congestion. (For a detailed explainer on the proposal, <a href="http://kut.org/post/austins-rail-and-roads-bond-explainer-end-all-explainers?nopop=1">we've got you covered</a>.)</p><p>The <a href="http://www.traviscountyclerk.org/eclerk/content/images/election_results/2014.11.04/20141104coacume.pdf">final tally of votes</a> had the proposal losing by a wide margin, with 57 percent of voters saying "No" and 43 percent voting "Yes." That's a 14-point loss for the light rail and roads proposal. (By comparison, in 2000, a light rail proposal in Austin was defeated by a <a href="http://kut.org/post/why-austins-rail-fail-2000-still-resonates-today">margin of less than a point</a>.) Overall, more people voted on the rail and roads proposition than did in the race for mayor (nearly 15,000 move votes in all). Voters in the urban core voted to pass the measure (map below), but they were outnumbered by voters outside of the urban core that voted against. (You can view an interactive map and<a href="http://traviselectionresults.com/enr/contest/display.do?criteria.electionId=20141104&amp;contestId=71"> see how your precinct voted here</a>.)Wed, 05 Nov 2014 05:06:38 +0000Terrence Henry11576 at http://kut.orgAustin's Rail and Roads Bond DefeatedAustin's Rail and Roads Bond: An Explainer to End All Explainershttp://kut.org/post/austins-rail-and-roads-bond-explainer-end-all-explainers
<p class="p1"><em><strong><a href="http://kut.org/post/live-blog-austins-rail-and-roads-bond-election">U</a>pdate, Nov. 5:&nbsp;</strong></em><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">Austin&nbsp;voters <a href="http://kut.org/post/austins-rail-and-roads-bond-defeated">decided against </a>the light rail and road improvements proposal, commonly known as Austin's 'Prop 1.' The&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.traviscountyclerk.org/eclerk/content/images/election_results/2014.11.04/20141104coacume.pdf" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(12, 76, 162); font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 22px;">final tally of votes</a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">&nbsp;had the proposal losing by a wide margin, with 57 percent of voters saying "No" and 43 percent voting "Yes." That's a 14-point loss for the light rail and roads proposal.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="p1"><strong>Original story, Nov. </strong><strong>4: </strong>It's the biggest debt proposal in Austin history, and it comes to a billion dollars in all: $600 million of it for a starter light rail line, with $400 million for improvements to state roads.</p><p class="p1">There's a lot to unpack here, and plenty of debate on the merits of this transportation proposal. So here it is, the (hopefully) last explainer you'll need this election for Austin's rail and roads proposition, featuring our reporting over the many months (and years) leading up to today's decision.&nbsp;</p><p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/175155618&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe></p><p class="p1"><em><strong>Tue, 04 Nov 2014 13:56:56 +0000Terrence Henry11564 at http://kut.orgAustin's Rail and Roads Bond: An Explainer to End All ExplainersAustin's Light Rail Proposal Has Some Asking: Why Not Rapid Bus Instead?http://kut.org/post/austins-light-rail-proposal-has-some-asking-why-not-rapid-bus-instead
<p><strong><em>Disclosure: Project Connect and Capital Metro have been supporters of KUT.</em></strong></p><p>Fifteen years from now, someone in Austin is going to get to say, "I told you so."</p><p>If voters approve a starter light rail proposal next week and it's built, by 2030 it's supposed to reach full steam, with some 16,000-18,000 trips per day (or roughly eight to nine thousand passengers a day).&nbsp;</p><p>There has been a lot of debate about this proposal, even by Austin standards. A lot of that has been about the route of the line. The plan is to borrow $1 billion. $400 million would pay for some road improvement projects around Austin. The rest would partially pay for a 9.5 mile line that would run from East Riverside, through downtown and the UT campus, and terminate in the area around Highland Mall.</p><p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/174155479&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe></p><p>But let's step aside from the route for a moment, and think about the tool. What if, instead of a light rail line, we opted for a Rapid Bus line instead?</p><p>Tue, 28 Oct 2014 10:00:00 +0000Terrence Henry11509 at http://kut.orgAustin's Light Rail Proposal Has Some Asking: Why Not Rapid Bus Instead?Listen: Forum on Austin's Transportation Past, Present & Futurehttp://kut.org/post/listen-forum-austins-transportation-past-present-future
<p>Last night, KUT's Views &amp; Brews partnered with the Austin Monitor at the Cactus Cafe to take a look at the past, present and future of transportation in Austin.</p><p>From roads, to buses, round-a-bouts to rail, guest host Michael Kanin of the Austin Monitor spoke with some of the historians, policy makers and analysts in town, including the Director of the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Texas at Austin Dr. <a href="http://www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/bhat/home.html">Chandra Bhat</a>, political consultant Mark Littlefield, Greg Hartman of the Let’s Go Austin political action campaign supporting Proposition 1, Roger Cauvin of Austinites for Urban Rail Action, which opposes the plan.</p><p>You can listen to the entire discussion below.</p><p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/172298370&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe>Wed, 15 Oct 2014 21:39:47 +0000KUT Staff11429 at http://kut.orgListen: Forum on Austin's Transportation Past, Present & FutureCould a New, Rail-Averse City Council Derail Prop 1?http://kut.org/post/could-new-rail-averse-city-council-derail-prop-1
<p>Austin voters are facing two major decisions this November.</p><p>First, Austinites will elect a new city council from brand new geographic districts, and voters will also decide whether to borrow $600 million to build a light rail line.</p><p>But, with so many City Hall hopefuls running on Prop 1-bashing stump speeches, what happens if voters approve the measure, and the next council has to implement policy they’ve sworn against?<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/170276933&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe>Thu, 02 Oct 2014 19:24:36 +0000Joy Diaz11343 at http://kut.orgCould a New, Rail-Averse City Council Derail Prop 1?CapMetro Plans Improvements to Shorten Wait Times, Attract More Ridershttp://kut.org/post/capmetro-plans-improvements-shorten-wait-times-attract-more-riders
<p>Claudia Teran is late for class. She's waiting at the corner of 45th and Guadalupe streets for her bus. She's studying media at UT and the bus is her main way of getting around.</p><p>Her bus – the 1, a local route – is running a little late today, so she's late. But what if she could've known her bus was late? What if she could look up on her phone where her bus is right now? What if</p><p>Online, real-time bus tracking is one of a few improvements coming to <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0CCAQFjAA&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.capmetro.org%2F&amp;ei=hU4PVJTNLo_o8AGw6oGIDw&amp;usg=AFQjCNFtFa3CjZmay4NWnBaqgLlDlomPyA&amp;sig2=MgOEHbo4SPGS93d7L7dxdg&amp;bvm=bv.74649129,d.b2U">Cap Metro </a>buses that aim to keep drivers out of their cars and on public transit.<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/166929953&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe>Tue, 09 Sep 2014 19:03:54 +0000Terrence Henry11186 at http://kut.orgCapMetro Plans Improvements to Shorten Wait Times, Attract More RidersAfter Ridership Drops, Cap Metro Looking to Tweak Rapid Bus Systemhttp://kut.org/post/after-ridership-drops-cap-metro-looking-tweak-rapid-bus-system
<p>Austin's "<a href="http://www.capmetro.org/metrorapid2.aspx">MetroRapid</a>" buses are larger and, let's be honest, nicer than your typical bus. They've got more doors, for one, which makes for faster loading and unloading. You can look up when the next one's going to arrive on your smartphone. They have Wi-Fi, too. In January, the first line debuted, the 801, running up and down North Lamar and Congress. This week, the second one started up, <a href="http://www.capmetro.org/metrorapid/">the 803</a>, going from the Domain down Burnet, through downtown and down South Lamar.&nbsp;</p><p>The Rapid bus system is the first major transit project in Austin since the troubled rollout of the MetroRail red line several years ago.* That project was late, over budget and struggled to attract riders.</p><p>The rapid buses, however, started on time and under budget. But six months after the launch of the first rapid line, ridership in its corridor is <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1279587-metrorapid-ridership-august-4-2014.html">down 16 percent from two years ago</a> during the same period. (You can view the ridership numbers obtained by KUT below.)</p><p>"We certainly didn't want that to happen. We hoped that wouldn’t happen. But it did happen," says&nbsp;<a href="http://movabilityaustin.org/bio/todd-hemingson/">Todd Hemingson</a>,&nbsp;Vice President of strategic planning and development with Capital Metro.</p><p>So why, after premiering shiny new buses with plenty of features, did ridership go down in the corridor?</p><p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/164704821&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe></p><p>Mon, 25 Aug 2014 18:18:17 +0000Terrence Henry11085 at http://kut.orgAfter Ridership Drops, Cap Metro Looking to Tweak Rapid Bus SystemUrban Rail and Road Improvement Plan Will Go to Austin Voters in Novemberhttp://kut.org/post/urban-rail-and-road-improvement-plan-will-go-austin-voters-november
<p>A major <a href="http://austin.siretechnologies.com/sirepub/cache/2/qyonpyernbpwu4133flqca3z/81941908072014060541939.PDF">transportation plan</a> took a significant step forward Thursday when the Austin City Council voted unanimously to put it on the November ballot.</p><p>It’s a billion-dollar proposition. Voters would agree to a $600 million bond for <a href="http://kut.org/post/project-connects-14-billion-proposal-austin-urban-rail">a 9.5-mile urban rail line</a>, contingent upon two conditions: matching funds from the Federal Transit Administration or another federal or state source, and a future city council securing $400 million dollars for road projects. The ordinance does not specify a source for the additional $400 million.</p><p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/162250944&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe>Fri, 08 Aug 2014 12:13:04 +0000Trey Shaar & Joy Diaz10975 at http://kut.orgUrban Rail and Road Improvement Plan Will Go to Austin Voters in NovemberCouncil Holds Key Vote on Austin Urban Rail: A Look at What's at Stakehttp://kut.org/post/council-holds-key-vote-austin-urban-rail-look-whats-stake
<p>A proposal to build a $1.4 billion urban rail line in Austin faces a key vote today in the city council. The 9.5 mile urban rail line would run from Riverside Drive and Grove, through downtown to Highland Mall.</p><p>Supporters of the plan say that route is going to see a lot of growth over the next few years. Opponents wonder why it’s not going in where things are already happening. Like, along Lamar or Guadalupe.</p><p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/156132940&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe></p><p>Thu, 26 Jun 2014 15:48:29 +0000Nathan Bernier10683 at http://kut.orgCouncil Holds Key Vote on Austin Urban Rail: A Look at What's at Stake